Over-crowded buses; a threat to school students and other passengers :::: High Time for Transport Department to introduce more buses during Rush Hours

E Arun and Tarun Kartick

Port Blair, Feb 11: As the clock strikes six in the morning students all over the Port Blair city and outskirts rush towards respective schools and colleges but the failure public transport system of these Islands fails to accommodate ever growing number of school and college students.

The over crowded buses in the morning and the evening peak hours are very dangerous for the students as well as for the general commuters because these commuters and students are compelled to hang out even on the stairs of the buses and also hangs with the windows. In the private run busses the situation is even worse than the State Transport Buses because they just fill out passengers for their own profit, putting their lives in danger.

Every day in school closing and opening hours one can see that almost every buses in city are over crowded with students, many hanging dangerously in stairs.

Public believe that the Transport department must provide additional busses in all the busy routes atleast during school closing or opening hours for the convenience of public, but it seems that the Transport Department is totally helpless.

When Andaman Sheekha team contacted Mr. Biju Samuel, Assistant Director (Transport), Regional Transport Officer (RTO) in this regard he said that at present there are no plan of providing more busses during the rush hours because of the lack of the manpower in the Transport Department.

“At present majority of the busses in the department is Minnie type and these busses carry less passengers and this is one main reason for carrying of excess passengers in the busses. When asked that why long chassis busses are not ordered Mr. Biju replied that the current policy of the administration is to procure only Minnie busses and while inaugurating the new bus terminus at Rangat Lt. Governor had told that we will order more Minnie busses to generate employment,” the Assistant Director of Transport added.

When Mr. Biju was asked if more busses especially for Girl Students will be introduced in near future he replied that the Transport Department does not have sufficient man power hence it seems impossible.

He said that there are only two ladies conductors and if one takes leave the other has to do a double shift and when Administration will recruit more Man Power then the Transport Department can think of starting more services for girl students, to protect them from daily harassment in male dominated over-crowded buses.

Now the ball is in the Administrations’ court, as recruiting more staffs in Transport Department is the responsibility of the Administration. Hope that the Chief Secretary will personally look into this matter and pass orders to recruit more staffs of Transport Department so that more buses could be introduce to tackle the mad rush.